1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a contact terminal for measurement, a measurement apparatus, a probe card set an wafer probe apparatus and a testing apparatus. Particularly, the present invention relates to a contact terminal for measurement for the transmission characteristic of probe pins in a semiconductor testing apparatus, a measurement apparatus for measuring the transmission characteristic of the probe pins and a probe card set including the probe pins and the contact terminal for measurement.
2. Related Art
Generally, a probe card in contact with a device under test and electrically connecting a testing apparatus body and the device under test has been used in a testing apparatus for testing the device under test such as a semiconductor circuit. The probe card includes a plurality of probe pins in contact with input/output pins of the device under test. The probe pins are designed to have a predetermined transmission characteristic, and the transmission characteristic for each of the probe pins has errors due to production tolerance.
When the transmission characteristic has any error, the device under test can not accurately tested. Therefore, the transmission characteristic for each of the probe pins has to be measured before testing the device under test to correct a signal transmitted through each of the probe pins.
Conventionally, a method has been known, for transmitting a signal from a testing apparatus to the probe pin and measuring a signal outputted from a probe pin in order to measure the transmission characteristic of the probe pin. In the method, the signal outputted from the probe pin is received through a contact terminal for measurement in contact with the probe pin to measure a signal waveform.
As such the above-described contact terminal for measurement, a contact terminal for measurement having signal pins provided at a predetermined distance and a grounding pin. The contact terminal for measurement causes the signal pins to be contact with the probe pin of which transmission characteristic should be measured and causes the grounding pin to be contact with the probe pin to which a ground potential is applied to detect the signal outputted by the probe pin.
However, the grounding pin for the conventional contact terminal for measurement has an width enough to be in contact with one probe pin, so that when the distance between the signal pin and the grounding pin, and the distance between the probe pin of which transmission characteristic should be measured and the probe pin to which the ground potential is applied are not matched, the signal waveform can not be detected. Therefore, the conventional measurement apparatus should have included a plurality of contact terminals for measurement having each different distance between the signal pins and the grounding pin.
Generally, a probe pin is a component having the life time. Initially, the probe pin has a predetermined dimensional accuracy within a manufacturing standard. For example, the relative position, height tolerance and contact resistance of the plurality of probe pins are set within a predetermined standard. However, as the result of repeated contacting operations on the surface of an wafer being the device under test several tens of thousands times to several hundreds of thousands times, elastic fatigue of the probe pin and electric abrasion and deterioration in the contacting portion are increased. Additionally, since the test is performed under a high-temperature condition, the shape distortion and deterioration are generated due to the thermal stress. Accordingly, the contact resistance of the probe pin is deteriorated and the contact is failed due to the deterioration such as a physical displacement. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the position of the probe pin and the characteristic such as contact resistance.